A large portion of her aircraft were stationed ashore, and that total includes those shore based aircraft. The actual total from the 13, or so, planes which were still stationed on her is more likely about 150 sorties.

There is ample reading which shows her deployment was merely a token gesture (and Assad started with 26% of Syria in his control, but after the Russian intervention, held 17% of Syria.)


From this source:

https://www.armadainternational.com/2017/01/kuznetsov-transits-through-english-channel/

This quote:

"Nevertheless, according to Russian sources, the Admiral Kuznetsov’s carrier air wing flew 420 combat sorties; 154 from the ship and the remainder from Khmeimim airbase in northwest Syria."

Other articles:

https://news.usni.org/2017/01/06/russia-pulling-carrier-admiral-kuznetsov-mediterranean

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2016/11/22/assessing_the_admiral_kuznetsov_deployment_in_the_syrian_conflict_110373.html

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2016/12/06/kuznetsovs-aircraft-may-redeploy-to-land-base-after-second-crash-in-3-weeks-a56427

https://news.usni.org/2016/11/14/russian-carrier-mig-29k-fighter-crashes-mediterranean-shows-potential-gaps-capability

https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-gave-up-airstrikes-kuznetsov-aircraft-carrier-2016-12

https://catpatchtactics.com/2018/02/01/the-voyage-of-the-admiral-kuznetsov-and-the-unveiling-of-the-paper-tiger/

If you dig into it, it was mostly a propaganda show and training exercise, having very little significant impact on the actual conflict. Forces which Russia deployed in-country, on the ground had much more effect. All the deployment did was show Western analysts that it was all a paper tiger.